Ortho-K is an effective myopia control option that needs special attention to handling and cleaning. You could help if your little ones are not ready to do it themselves, but be prepared and be patient.
My son started his myopia control treatment two days ago, and he was given orthokeratology (Ortho-K) and atropine 0.05% combination treatment. In this post, you will find my experience helping my son put on, remove, and clean these hard contact lenses. Since we will have another follow-up appointment next week that will confirm if my son’s treatment strategy is working well, I will share where he lands in a future post.
What is Ortho-K?
Orthokeratology treatment, or Ortho-K, uses custom-designed, rigid gas permeable contact lenses – commonly referred to as hard contact lenses – to reshape the cornea overnight. After the treatment, the wearer can see more clearly during the day without glasses or contact lenses.
Further and most importantly, the reshaping of the cornea by Ortho-K induces peripheral myopic defocus, which slows down the elongation of the eyes, effectively preventing or reducing the progression of myopia.
However, like other contact lenses, Ortho-K lenses may lead to an increased risk of eye infection if they are not cleaned and handled properly.
Concerned about this risk and as a contact lens wearing myope for more than 20 years, my wife and I thought we could help our son with his contact lenses until he is familiar with the routine.
What are the solutions and accessories?
From the clinic, I have got a package with several items listed below to get started. Even though I switched to daily disposable soft contacts about seven years ago, I am familiar with the solutions and accessories. For those of you who are familiar with soft contact lens cleaning, the minor difference is that there is an additional saline solution to rinse the lenses after cleaning instead of rinsing with the multipurpose solution.
- A multipurpose solution for rigid gas permeable lenses
- A saline solution
- Some artificial tears (small individual packages)
- A small hard contact lens plunger
- A contact lens case
As a note, I am thinking of evaluating the hydrogen peroxide-based cleaning method for the future as I remember they may clean better. However, if not neutralized properly, the hydrogen peroxide may burn the eyes – not a good confidence building move. Something for a few months later.
Were the Ortho-K lenses easy to put in for my son?
It is not difficult but requires patience.
My wife and I decided we would help him handle the wearing and cleaning of the hard contact lens in the beginning. We were concerned about the risk of eye infection and whether or not he could put it in and position it properly.
A way to gauge if your kid is ready is if your kid could keep their bedroom clean and tidy. – a friendly and caring fitting optician
Even though I wore contact lenses for more than 20 years, putting both of my contact lenses in my eyes had been a 30-second routine. Putting contact lenses in my son’s eyes was a different ball game. I had to relearn and get used to some new postures.
It is important to note that I was comfortable and mentally prepared to hold my son’s eyelids open, look at the white part of the eyes, and/or gently touch his cornea. Seeing the uneasiness on my wife’s face, I could imagine it may be a hurdle to overcome for some parents.
A brightly lit space was helpful. The hard contact lens was difficult to see because it’s about the same size as the outer edges of the iris. Since our room was poorly lit, I asked my wife to hold up my smartphone with the flashlight on to help. (I bought a portable light stand the next day – quite helpful).
It took about 45 minutes for both eyes on Day 1 (10 minutes on Day 2 and four minutes on Day 3). In addition to the poor lighting, putting contact lenses in his eyes was a challenge because of my lack of experience putting contact lenses in another person's eyes, and his non-volunteering reflex to blink or look away.
We had to reclean one of the lenses several times because it fell out or it was not positioned properly. And I had to remove, clean, and put it back in.
There was an eye drop that the clinic provided to help temporarily desensitize his eyes to avoid blinking. The optician recommended that we use it one to two minutes before putting on the contact lenses to reduce his blinking. It helped a lot.
After this was done, I asked how he felt. He replied that he could feel the contact lenses, but it was okay. He then laid flat on his back for ten minutes for the contact lenses to set in place. Then he went to sleep.
Were the Ortho-K contact lenses easy to remove in the morning?
Yes, it was easy to remove the lenses with a mini-plunger.
With some experience removing them when they were not put in properly the day before, it was not challenging. When my son woke up in the morning, I put some artificial tears in his eyes to lubricate the contact lenses, which loosened the lenses from his cornea for removal.
Using the plunger, which had a clever suction design, it was easy to remove the lenses. We cleaned the lenses with some multipurpose solution and proceed to soak the lenses in the contact lens holders. It took us about two to three minutes.
[An important tip: remember to clean his face before putting or removing the contact lenses]
How was day 1 like?
After the first night of wearing, my son started experiencing temporary vision correction the next morning. After removing the lenses, my son was happy and exclaimed, “I could see clearly! Words there are not blurry anymore.”
He looked around the room for texts or words that he had had trouble reading and loud announced what he was reading. “That says cold infuse,” he said and pointed to the Twinings tea bottle on the table in a distance.
Even though the improvement was immediate, I am hopeful that the maximal vision correction can be reached in a few days. And most importantly, his excitement and smile were worth the time spent – or the frustration.
My learning and reflection
Ortho-K was more attractive on paper than in real practice – at least initially.
The handling of these hard contact lenses may be complicated for many, and putting the lenses in may be time-consuming. For parents or myopes who have experience with cleaning and handling contact lenses, Ortho-K may be fine. However, for "myopia muggles", it may a deal-breaker.
Older kids who could handle and clean the lenses themselves may be more suitable for Ortho-K. The impact of clear vision and not needing glasses the next day – even though temporary– could be strong enough incentives to motivate kids to do the upkeep and wear them every night.
The immediate effect of the contact lenses may be exciting. But, what is even more important is the long-term use to prevent or slow down myopia progression.
As for my son, going to the swimming pool and seeing clearly without the big squint should be motivating enough to get started.
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